RightNow releases latest version of CRM, with self-service product registration

Staff Writers
Tuesday, 24 February 2009 08:32

IT Industry - Market

RightNow Technologies (NASDAQ: RNOW) today released the latest version of its on demand customer relationship management (CRM) solution, RightNow February '09, which includes new product registration capabilities.

Releasing the new version today, Brett Waters, vice president Asia Pacific – South of RightNow, said the new product registration capabilities in February '09 made “seamless and direct communications between manufacturers and the end consumer easier.”

Waters said this helped RightNow’s clients get a better understanding of their customers and “what they are buying, creating a foundation for better, long term relationships that bring returns to the bottom line. RightNow February '09 helps companies take their brand loyalty to the next level, one customer interaction at a time."

According to Waters, the Internet has created massive changes in the way consumers buy, whether it's an outdoor grill or a digital camera, and as a result they were now going directly to manufacturers for service and support.
 
“A decade ago, manufacturers had little interaction with the end consumer, instead relying on experts at a local store who could tell consumers everything they needed to know about any product on the shelf.  Now customers have a direct line to the name on the label, and they expect the manufacturer to be ready to provide information whenever they want it.”

Endorsing this view, David Dentry, general manager of technical support at Nikon, said "in the past, customers would go back to their local camera store to learn how to use their camera, but now most of the larger retailers don't do that, so consumers come to us directly and we need to be prepared to help them."
 
Waters also said that manufacturers, faced with the new role of providing customer service and support, were looking for ways to understand and engage with their customers, and product registration information helped them get to know customers and serve them more effectively.
 
That’s a view shared by Maryellen Abreu, director of iRobot's global technical support, who stressed that product registration information was the first step in understanding the company’s customers, and “knowing our customers, specifically what products they have purchased, is important to customer retention. We can build more robots, but we can't manufacture more customers. Customer retention is absolutely critical."